WERE YOU DISCRIMINATED AGAINST AT WORK?
In the past, it was commonplace for employers to fire long-term senior employees before they reached retirement. The practice was widespread because these companies did not have to pay out pensions due once members of their staff retired. As crooked as it sounds, it was legal because there wasn’t enough precedent to prevent companies from firing older workers and hiring new, younger employees.
If you think that you have been a victim of age discrimination in the workplace in Los Angeles, CA, there are some signs to help you determine that with certainty.
Age Discrimination In The Workplace
Los Angeles is a thriving location for startups, new businesses, and employees to travel to attend conventions and meetings. Regardless of how you look, young or old, ageism has still taken its toll to become a prevalent ongoing issue.
To give you an idea of how “alive and well” age discrimination cases are, filing lawsuits for these cases doubled between 1990 and 2017 after laws went into effect against such practices. In an era where there are clear-cut laws about this sort of discrimination, the cases should not have doubled. If anything, they should have cut it in half.
Signs of Discrimination
Chances are you’re experiencing age discrimination if you’ve asked yourself the following questions:
- Did you hit 40 and suddenly find yourself out of a job?
- Maybe your work environment has dozens of twenty-somethings working in it and very few “old-timers”?
- Have you been disciplined harsher for the same things as younger coworkers?
- Maybe you hear many nasty remarks and jokes or insults about older people when you are around others?
If you often feel as though your employer has placed a target on your back and is about to fire you for the slightest infraction, you might be right. The older you are, the more likely these employers will be targeting more senior workers and trying to fire them “legally” so that they don’t get sued. The problem with that logic is there are patterns in their behaviors that easily reflect that they regularly do this to all of their older employees. If your employment attorney in Los Angeles can spot the ways, you may have a good case for age discrimination.
Refusing to Hire You Even Though You Are a Strong Candidate
Another sign that most workplace age discrimination attorneys say is a dead giveaway is when you are a strong candidate on paper for the job. Still, they become dismissive during the interview because of your age. Job applications can no longer ask your age or date of birth for this reason.
Nor can the interviewers ask your age either. If they do, you do not have to answer that question. It is considered discrimination if they refuse to finish the interview or consider you for the job. The age discrimination lawyers Los Angeles victims hire certainly saw their share of this unprofessional and unethical behavior, but no one has to stand for it. Even when the interviewer and the applicant are close in age, this practice can still occur.
Wrapping Your Head Around Age-Related Jokes as a Form of Discrimination
While such things are best left unsaid at work, there are always instances of ageist commentary. Trying to understand whether what was said falls under age discrimination requires a workplace attorney to compare another form of illegal business practice; harassment. If you would not sexually harass a coworker, why harass them about their age? Making someone feel inferior for a laugh is never right or legal, regardless of why you did it. Ergo, age-related comments and jokes are discrimination.
“Reverse” Ageism
Some companies refuse to hire younger workers. They find that high school and college kids lack professionalism, don’t bother to learn about the company, and rarely dress appropriately for an interview and work. As such, they hire only the bare minimum or less of young adults and adolescents to work for them. When this happens, it is a form of discrimination called “reverse” ageism because of the youth/age of these workers. If you are young and have been turned down from a job and see many older candidates working for a company, you may also need an age discrimination law firm on your side.
Do I Need a Lawyer for Age Discrimination?
Right about now, you are wondering, “Do I need a lawyer for workplace discrimination?” The answer is a resounding “Yes!” Companies will not stop these illegal practices until people stand up for themselves and fight back. If you don’t hire a lawyer to fight for your job and what has happened to you, then the employer will continue doing these same things to other employees or potential employees for decades to come. When they are left unchecked legally, the problem only persists and becomes worse. Hire an attorney today.